Mourners have been flocking to pay their respects to an injured wild elephant who died on Friday after a three month battle to save his life.

Partially blind Sidda, who was about 35 years old, broke his leg in August after falling into the Manchanabele Dam in Magadi, Karnataka, reportedly trying to flee angry locals looking to protect their crops.

Villagers initially tried to nurse him back to health but a team of wildlife experts were later drafted in to treat the stricken bull, with the Indian Army even stepping in to build a supportive structure to aid his recovery.

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Villagers and others offer prayers next to Sidda's body after he died of his injuries on a river bank on the outskirts of Bangalore, India

A man prays in front of Sidda's body after he died of his injuries in the early hours of Friday

The army had earlier sent 50 troops to build a special supportive frame for Sidda after hearing of his plight, and the bull had started to show signs of recovery

But Sidda lost his fight for survival in the early hours of Friday, despite showing dramatic signs of improvement in recent weeks.

Animal rescue charity Wildlife SOS, which has been instrumental in caring for him, made the announcement on its Facebook page on Friday, saying: 'It is with heavy hearts that we share with you the painful news of Sidda’s death.

'He fought long and hard, with friends at his side doing whatever they could to save him.

Sidda resting in the backwaters of the Manchanabele Dam where he had taken refuge after he broke his right leg while being chased by villagers in late August

Sidda was then rescued from the water by a team of wildlife experts in October and had been treated by Wildlife SOS vets since then

'Last night things took a sudden turn for the worse, and Sidda passed away unexpectedly.

'A postmortem examination is being carried out to determine the cause of this tragic incident.

'The team who was in the field with him this entire time - and all of us whose lives Sidda touched - are deeply distraught at the loss of this majestic elephant.'

As well as his injuries, Sidda was also partially blind, with his impairment seen here as he lies on the ground fighting for his life

A crane lifts Sidda's body to place him on the ground for autopsy after he died of his injuries

A man feeds water to Sidda while he was still alive but deteriorating as he lay on his side before the special structure was built by the Indian Army

'Rest in peace, Sidda,' the statement added.

A Ramanagara forest official, known only Manjunath, said on Saturday that an autopsy had shown that Sidda died from an infection caused by a puss formation inside the leg that was not noticeable from the outside.

Sidda's plight struck a chord with thousands of animal lovers who followed his story online or visited the elephant to offer prayers throughout his treatment.

His condition later improved after he got back on his feet thanks to the special enclosure

The troops with engineer specialists from the Madras Sappers Division spent days erecting the complex structure, with a pulley mechanism to lift and support Sidda

The stricken elephant was lifted into the new enclosure last month after spending weeks lying on his side, deteriorating further

Many therefore headed to the site over the weekend to pay their respects to the elephant, covering him in flower garlands and offering prayers before he was buried nearby on the river bank.

After sustaining his injury in the summer, the elephant, waded into a nearby ditch, using the natural buoyancy of the water to alleviate the pain in his fractured limb.

Dedicated locals initially tried to nurse Sidda through his injuries, but in October experts from the Karnataka Forest Department and charity Wildlife SOS carried out a grueling four-hour operation to pull the elephant onto the river banks for treatment.

Sidda, thought to be around 35 years old, was found stranded in a dam in Magadi, Ramanagara, with a broken leg

For weeks, caring locals had been tending to the stricken bull, bringing him food, before rescue efforts began

Two trained elephants joined the rescue on October 21 to help calm terrified Sidda, whose story has touched animal lovers across India.

Despite a few signs of promise, the elephant's condition continued to deteriorate and he spent weeks stranded on his side, eating very little, if anything.

After hearing of his plight, Army Chief and current Ministry of External Affairs minister, General V K Singh, called on the military to step in.

In October, after weeks spent treating the animal in the water, a committee of experts was formed by the Karnataka Forest Department with help from charity Wildlife SOS

The experts decided Sidda needed to be pulled from the water for treatment and a gruelling four-hour operation was carried out

Under the command of Brig R K Sachdeva, 50 troops from the Madras Sappers Division constructed a supportive structure to harness the animal and keep him lifted to allow better treatment.

Since then the elephant had gone from strength to strength, with Wildlife SOS reporting that he had started to eat good amounts of food and his injuries were improving, with him bathing himself for the first time in weeks.

Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, which worked round-the-clock to help Sidda, had earlier told MailOnline that the case had highlighted the need for changes in wildlife conservation regulations.

After sustaining his injury, the partially-blind elephant waded into a nearby ditch, using the natural buoyancy of the water to alleviate the pain in his fractured limb

Sidda, who was adored by locals, did start to show promising signs of recovery when he was lifted from the dam but passed away on Friday after months of treatment

Before his supportive structure was built, he had been lying on his side for weeks and Wildlife SOS had said he was clearly suffering with a 'grave' prognosis

While concerned locals and forest officials had initially tried to help Sidda, Geeta believes that earlier intervention from professionals could have given Sidda a better chance of survival and eventual recovery.

She said: 'Wildlife SOS has been assisting with medical care and treatment of Sidda with the permission of the Karnataka Forest Department and Chief Wildlife Warden.

'Being a young tusker, he is extremely valuable for conservation and this incident highlights a need to change the way we look at wildlife conservation.

Sidda was only been able to stand with the help of a crane until the army came to his aid

Reports claim that anything up to 50 locals a day visited Sidda to watch the veterinary experts work round-the-clock to save him

'Traditional conservationists do not advocate interventions and feel wild animals should be left to survive or perish as per the laws of nature.

'However, when we consider the shrinking numbers of bulls in the Asian elephant population and the value of a young bull like Sidda, perhaps timely intervention is something to have been considered earlier in the day.'